


Something Worth Dying For

by PhoenixPhaedrana



Series: The New Chapter [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Canon, F/M, Fluff, Language, but it's prbly not gonna have a fluff ending unless i make a continuation, there's fluff in there if you squint hard enough
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-12-23 22:04:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21088532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixPhaedrana/pseuds/PhoenixPhaedrana
Summary: Feathers and Doll aren't comfy with some... stuff that's going on. They talk to each other, make a plan, and then follow through.... and then things go horribly, horribly wrong.





	1. Playing

**Author's Note:**

> This first chapter's actually not bad at all. The first three won't be. And then #4 rolls around and it's like 'hello angst my old friend...'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Characters splish splash in a lake for awhile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's nothing super violent in this chapter. I'll warn you guys before that happens.

Feathers came down to the lake, following Ibiscus closely. It had only been a day since they had been reunited, and Feathers had no intention of letting them out of his sight any time soon. He smiled up at his parent. 

“Are you going to eat too?” Ibiscus had informed him that they simply ate fish out of the lake.

“Yep! I hope the water isn’t too cold, though!” 

Feathers felt like he was being watched, but he didn’t see anyone super close. 

“I can wait here for you.” He hated getting wet, anyway. He could see the excitement in Ibiscus, but also that they were worried for him.

“Hum… yeah no, stay close, but eat too you need to gain strength for the following events of the festival.” they took off their kimono and transformed into their beast form so they could fish more easily. Feathers chuckled. Truth be told, he appreciated their concern for him.

“I’ll be alright. If I need you, I’ll call.” 

“Ok.” They licked his cheek before jumping into the water and disappearing into the depths of the scenic lake. He purred in response to being licked, then turned as someone came up to him.

“Feathers, right?” The person looked like a life sized plush. Definitely not familiar.

“...yes. Do I know you?” But he was immediately distracted as he heard someone say “Huff this old man is really annoying me.” He looked back to the plush briefly before his eyes focused back on the other person. She had horns on her head like Ibiscus, but her arms were lined with feathers, almost harpy like.

“Sorry, but I’ve got to deal with something.” He opened his wings and flew over the lake, ignoring the fact that the feathers were already becoming soaked due to the rain. The monster growled at him, her tail lashing the air.

“Did I say something wrong about your old mama? Oh I didn’t mean to sorry~” Her tone dripped with sarcasm and it ground on Feathers’ nerves.

“Yes you f**king did. And I’m not gonna take it.”

“Ha! What a shame. But you see, fighting is unfortunately not something you should do in the presence of your said ‘mom’.” Feathers tilted his head, trying hard to keep his temper under control.

“Really? Why don’t you try to defend your opinions, then?”

“Tsk tsk tsk, it’s a story you are not a part of, my dear~” she growled a bit at him.

“It sounds like you have something against them.” He was trying so hard to keep his voice calm. “And I don’t know why you would think that, but don’t you f**king  _ dare  _ come near them.”

“Aww you dared me! How cute of you~” her voice changed to a dangerous purr, her feathers rising in aggression, as his already had. He flapped out of her reach, still hovering there.

“I said  _ don’t  _ you f**king dare!” 

She smiled widely at him. It was not a pleasant smile.

“What a bad move you just made-” without warning, she jumped into the water, taking beast form as she collided with Ibiscus, who swatted at her with a paw. Feathers jumped in alarm and flew as low as he could without letting his wings touch the surface of the lake. He flew a little higher, trying to find an advantage, but there wasn’t anything he could do! At least he couldn’t see any blood in the water, but he didn’t like this at all.

Ibiscus jumped out of the water and ran around the lake, pursued by the other. Feathers pounced on top of her as soon as she was out of the lake, ripping at her with the talons on his hands. But he wasn’t quite quick enough. She managed to bite Ibiscus’ tail, but let go with a growl and curled up to protect herself from Feathers’ fury. Before she could attack him, he sharply jerked her soul into the air, panting after the sudden physical activity and magic exertion. She flapped her wings, trying to break his hold.

“I’m just playing stop it you jerk!”

Feathers landed, eye glowing as he kept here there. He quickly looked over to Ibiscus to make sure they were unharmed.

“Didn’t f**king look like play.” Ibiscus looked calm, only licking their tail which had a few teeth marks in it.

“You can let her go, you know? She is everything but a treat to us.” 

Feathers moved to Ibiscus’ side.

“What do you mean? Are you alright?”

“I mean that if she was really a danger to us I would have already snapped her neck.” As they spoke the monster shifted back to her regular form.

“Alright. I’m sorry, I was just trying to protect you.” He knew very well that Ibiscus could protect themselves very well, but that wouldn’t stop him trying.

“No problem, it’s good to know at least  _ one  _ of my children cares about me.” They glared hard at the other before pulling Feathers into a cuddle.

“What do you mean, ‘one of your children’?” Was he not the only one? Were there others like him? Did he have siblings now?

“Hah, yeah. This ‘thing’ is one of my past students, and also my creation.” They pulled away from him and shifted back, putting their kimono on as they did so. Feathers shifted slightly uneasily.

“Why does it treat you so badly?”

“I’m not a thing you jerks.” there was a snarl in her voice. Both Feathers and Ibiscus continued to ignore her presence.

“I don’t know, probably because I’m the alpha and she wants to defeat me.”

“Alright? I guess? I don’t like it but… if you live with her you can probably handle it.” He realized he might have been a bit rash in his actions.

“No worries, my child, she is more often exploring The Multiverse than staying here. It’s actually pretty weird that she is here in the first place.” 

Feathers sighed.

“Alright… and of course I care about you! You’re willing to love  _ me _ , after all.” There was a hint of bitterness in his tone. He knew he never deserved them.

“Put me down you f**ker! I have better things to do than listen to your sh*t!” Feathers put her down. He’d actually forgotten she was up there.

“Tsk, thanks.” she moved towards the temple.

“Is she… always like that?” He glanced at his parent.

“Nan, she’s usually more passive. Maybe she’s stressed out by the presence of others, I don’t know.”

Feathers nodded

“Sorry, but I think someone wanted to talk to me… if that’s ok.” his tone was meek.

“No problem. I’ll just go watch the fishes.” They sat near the edge of the water, looking down at them.

Feathers walked back to the other. 

“Right. What were you saying?” His tone wasn’t apologetic in the slightest.

“Well, you asked how I learned your name. It’s Ghost. If I’m right, you gave him a fly a few weeks ago.”

Feathers nodded. He had, in fact, met the inquisitive monster at the other festival. 

“I did.”

They talked for a bit about that. Apparently, the enthusiastic monster had disappeared shortly after the festival. Feathers wasn’t sure he wanted to actively help this Doll or not, but he promised to keep an eye out. After all of that, Feathers came back to Ibiscus and they both returned to the inside of the temple, hoping to dry off and take a break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No need for tl;dr here. Also, off topic, but Ibiscus carries Feathers like everywhere and it's completely adorable.


	2. Scheming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doll and Feathers devise their plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings on this one, it's literally just them talking.

Feathers leaned against the wall of the Grand Hall. The last twenty four hours or so had been pleasant, with he and Ibiscus just relaxing, enjoying each other’s company. There had been a mishap, but Ibiscus had sorted it out quickly enough. The monster who had insulted Ibiscus earlier walked by. Feathers glared at her suspiciously, but didn’t follow. He was waiting for someone. Doll walked by then, and Feathers hailed him.

“Hey.”

“Yeah?” The plush walked towards him. He wore a disgusted expression on his face, but Feathers didn’t have time to deal with that right now. He ruffled his wings. It was right down to business.

“I don’t like this person. Ibiscus says they can handle it, but something feels off. And after last time I’m more than ready to follow through on a hunch.”

“I think her name’s Lucie, but yeah, I don’t get her either.” Doll seemed willing to take his side. Good.

“So, are you in to help me figure out what the f**k is going on here?” 

“Totally.” The other looked determined to help. 

“Great. So who’s gonna follow her? And- maybe it would be best if we had some kind of communication.” He stopped talking momentarily when his parent walked by. Somehow, he thought they wouldn’t like what they were talking about. 

“I just… I’m getting a bad feeling, and I think Ibiscus feels the same way, even if they won’t admit it.” Doll nodded in response.

“Maybe she will show up soon. You want a way to communicate, right?”

Feathers nodded

“Yeah, that way we can talk if there’s trouble.”

“Yeah. I think I left it in my pockets.” Doll began to shuffle through his pockets.

“You have something?” Feathers peered curiously.

“I’ve got a few magic objects I coul- Great, got them.” He removed a pair of bouncy balls from his pocket and passed one to Feathers.

“They work like walkie talkies, I don’t really know how…”

“Should we test them?” Feathers turned the item curiously over in his hand.

“If you want. Just go somewhere to talk to it, and I will hear it.”

Feathers flew high, into the soaring roof of the Grand Hall, where he was sure Doll wouldn’t be able to hear him. 

“Can you hear this?” Feathers was a little skeptical, but a few seconds later Doll’s voice was broadcast through the ball. 

**“Yep, I hear it. You?”**

“Yes, it works.” He landed once more next to Doll. “Great. So, the plan is one of us follows, the other is ready to provide backup?”

“I guess.” The other sounded a bit hesitant. “But something is totally wrong. I cant teleport.”

“That’s… really not good.” Feathers clicked his talons thoughtfully. “I can’t fly, which is my biggest advantage in battle. And I’d probably kill myself if I try to use any magic beyond simple sould manipulation.”

“Hey wait! Who are you planning to follow?” Ibiscus’ voice startled Feathers. He jumped, and turned around. They were half hidden behind a bush.

“Ibiscus, you’re… here… umm.” He wasn’t sure how to deal with this. He didn’t want to be stopped from going.

“Yes I definitely am. And your plan sounds suicidal.”

Feathers sighed.  _ They just had to walk in at  _ ** _that _ ** _ moment didn’t they. _

“Well… I do have backup this time, I’m not a complete idiot.”

“Yeah… it still doesn’t sound safe to me.”

“Look, Ibiscus,” His voice pleaded with his parent to see reason. “I don’t like what’s going on here, and the last time I had that feeling and didn’t act on it you  ** _died_ ** .”

His parent looked down, twisting their sleeves and looking worried.

“I… but… it’s my home… why would someone want to kill me? And who?” 

“Lucie’s acting suspicious. It might be nothing but I don’t think it is, and would rather trust my instincts.” 

“Ah yeah…  ** _Lucie_ ** of course, who else would it be, after all?” Their sarcasm stung him, even if it wasn’t meant to be mean spirited in the slightest. He knew they were only worried for his safety, but he also knew he had to do this. Then, he remembered something he had overheard Lucie say the previous day.

“Also, seeing as you live here, who’s Lucie’s boss? It’s the only lead we have and it’s… concerning.”

“Lucie’s boss? In this place? There is no one capable of being her boss here. I think that in other Multiverses she likes being a part of the ‘bad Sanses’ if I remember correctly. But there is no Nightmare here as far as I know…”

Feathers felt his anxiety spike. He began to pace, his wings ruffled with worry.

“Ok that’s even worse… I don’t like this at all… I know I probably can’t beat her in a fight, especially when I don’t have an ace up my sleeve… I don’t know what to do.” he stopped pacing and turned to Ibiscus, his expression lost, pleading for them to have the answer.

“What do you mean it’s even worse? The bad Sanses are an evil gang?” They gently hugged Feathers, showing him the affection they always had.

“No… it’s even worse that there’s something here, in your own home, and you don’t know about it… I don’t know who the bad Sanses are, and frankly, I don’t care… I just can’t risk losing you again.” He cuddled them, trying to convince himself that they were going to be ok, that they were safe here. But he didn’t really believe that.

“Are you sure of what you are saying, my child? Because that would be really bad.”

Feathers wanted to cry, wanted to tell them that no, he was wrong and that none of that was real. But he knew inside of himself that something was afoot.

“Like I said, Lucie’s ‘boss’. She said something about them being too shy to come here… I think she’s reporting back to them, and I don’t think they’re outside this universe. At least, that’s my best guess.” He allowed his head to come to a rest on his parent’s chest, closing his eyes. Ibiscus gently patted his back.

“If they are already here, that means they are coming from the void… which means things are going to get out of hand really fast.”

Feathers looked at them, in some alarm.

“Do you know who it is? If that’s the case- why don’t we just leave? Get the f**k out of here before one of us gets hurt!”

“But I don’t know who this is! And I can’t just leave my home like that!” There was a distinct whine in their voice that warned Feathers that they were getting upset. He kicked himself internally, he hadn’t meant to take it that far… sometimes he forgot that other people had a sense of attachment to their homes.

“I’m… sorry, I just- what do you mean things are going to get out of hand fast?”

“If Lucie comes my temple is going to be set on fire pretty easily!”

Feathers realized the conversation had gotten away from them, and took a few deep breaths to refocus.

“Alright, a-alright. At least let me help Doll figure out what’s going on. Please.”

“Alright… but be careful ok? And don’t attack anyone if they don’t attack you first, alright? Especially Lucie. If you do attack her and we were wrong because she was just being b*tchy, I don’t want you to lose against her and… die. Is that clear? I trust you my child.” They pet the side of his head gently, gazing into his eyes. He nodded.

“Alright… I promise, I’ll be careful. Thank you.” 

“I guess we will have to wait now until she comes back and leaves again, and try not to look too suspicious.”

“Yes.” Feathers nodded his assent. “For now me and Doll will keep making a plan.”

Ibiscus wandered off to do some housekeeping jobs, and Feathers turned back toward Doll after taking a few seconds to finish calming down.

“Uh, I forgot, wait… Oh, yeah. I can’t teleport.” Doll picked up the conversation roughly where they had left off.

“Right. And I can’t fly because it’s raining.”

“Great. Just great. Oh, wait. The cloth piece.” His voice sounded more hopeful on the last statement.

“The what?”

Doll pulled a grey cloth out of his pocket. “It works like a door…”

“How?”

“I just throw it-” He did, and it grew until it was the size and shape of a door.

“Ok, but where does it lead?”

“To my home. And from there, you can use the same door you enter in to leave somewhere else.”

“Hmm..” It was a good idea, but he wasn’t sure how comfortable he was just popping up somewhere with no idea of who or what he might find there. “That feels kind of risky though…”

“But it’s the only way we can travel without flying or using magic. Or walking.”

“Alright… I suppose it’ll do. So let me get this straight. I’ll follow her, and if I need backup, you’ll use this to get to me?”

“I’m not sure obout that. It’s quite risky, and you’ll have to describe me a zone to correctly set the cloth door.. But it seems it’s the only way we actually have.”

Feathers took a deep breath. He knew he was the one who was taking the brunt of the risk here, but he was also the one who had the most to gain. Or lose.

“Alright, I’m willing to try it… try not to let me f**king die though.”

“It’s not my intention to.”

And so, their plan had been laid out, and they were ready to act the next time they got the chance. But that chance would not come for several more days yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No tl:dr needed.
> 
> I like that Ibiscus allowed them to go, I was sure they wouldn't.


	3. Trusting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feathers makes a new frien.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's just kinda fluff. Opal's all cute and curious.

Feathers awoke and  ** _froze._ ** He had drifted off in the food court, but he now saw that he was not alone here. Instead, Lucie and someone he had never seen before was here. He was tired and disoriented, and his survival instinct kicked into gear. These people were to be feared, he shoudn’t have let himself be surrounded like this! His thoughts were interrupted when the second monster, the one he had never met before, turned to him.

“Hello.” the other monster gave a friendly wave.

“Uh, hi…” Ok, maybe a false alarm, but you couldn’t be too careful. His wings were floofed still from the initial alarm.

“You expanded?” The other walked over to him and began to examine his silky white feathers.

“Uhh kinda? The feathers just fluff sometimes…”

“Is that because of your magic?” The curious monster leaned in, and Feathers couldn’t help cringing away as he did so, even though he cursed at himself internally. He really needed to wake the f**k up before he could deal with people like this.

“No, they just raise themselves. Like any bird.”

“Does it hurt? Can you feel it?” The other monster reached out and touched his wings carefully. Feathers began to relax a little. This was harmless enough, and Lucie seemed annoyed at this person anyway.

“No, it doesn’t hurt, but I do feel it.”

“What does it feel like?” He kept stroking the wings carefully.

“Mm, hard to describe… I can feel you move it, but there’s no feeling in the feather itself… it… actually feels kind of nice.” He felt the instinctive urge to purr welling up inside him, but he crushed it, reminding himself that this was a complete stranger to him.

“Why the interest?”

“Yours are slightly different from my companion’s. Though… she’s missing  _ few. _ ” 

Lucie, who still hadn’t spoken, looked enraged by that statement. The new monster snickered at that.

“Uh, looks like more than a few. Couldn’t she fly before? And how are mine different?” In fact, Lucie had no feathers left to speak of at all, despite them lining both of her arms just a few days prior.

“You have wings on your back, and she… well, she  _ had _ them on her arms.”

“Mm, that’s actually Eclipse. It’s, uh, complicated.”

The other monster withdrew his hand, and Feathers felt vaguely disappointed.

“We share a form. I get wings and talons, and she keeps me alive. Sort of symbiosis.”

“So you can’t use them?” 

“Oh, I can fly. But we can ‘switch out’ our control. Like this.” He had no idea why he was telling this one monster so much about himself, but he saw little point in hiding this kind of thing from him. He allowed Eclipse to take control.

“Hi! Keep doing that, it’s nice.”

The monster smiled and put his hand on Feathers’ wings again, petting them. They kept talking about how Feathers worked for awhile, before Lucie reminded the monster (whose name was Opal) that she needed healing supplies, and they both parted ways. Feathers felt happy about the interaction. It made him feel good that someone would be so non judgmental about his… odd situation with Eclipse. He hoped to talk to Opal again soon. He would. In fact, they would meet later that very day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See it be fluffy. But get ready for the next chapter.... it's where the bad stuff starts~


	4. Trapping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go horribly wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> K, big ol' angst and violence warning here. This is where the bad stuff starts. If you feel uncomfortable at any point reading this, there's a tl;dr in the end notes.

Feathers sat with Ibiscus curled around him. They were sleeping peacefully while he kept watch over them. Opal and Lucie had returned to wherever they were coming from. Doll had stalked Lucie back, however, instead of him, since he had been busy at the time. Now, he waited patiently for any news of Doll’s findings.

Doll rushed in at that moment, disturbing his thoughts. 

“I followed them! To this weird isl- oh they’re sleeping.”

Feathers couldn’t help an annoyed expression crossing his face briefly

“Hush… lower your voice, please, they’ve had a hard day.” Both parent and child were having more trouble adjusting than he cared to admit. “So what happened?”

“Sorry. So, uh, there is a mansion. I came back to ask for some support, if possible.”

Feathers felt his soul thrill with the tension of the moment. They were so close! He could finally make sure his parent was truly safe, even in their own home.

“Alright.” He carefully stood and stepped over Ibiscus, not waking them. “So what was that about an island mansion?”

“I’m sure they’re inside.” Doll was wringing the water out of his plush body. “I can use the cloth piece to travel back there, as I took the time to observe the surroundings of the door.” The cloth piece he was referring to was a magical item that allowed him to create portals to any area that he knew the appearance of.

“Ok. Guards? Any other threats?” Feathers wasn’t about to take chances

“Nothing except the storm and the weird trees.” That didn’t sound good.

“Saw the storm, but define ‘weird’.”

“Made of crystal or rocks? I don’t know, I couldn’t see them very well… I think they were made of crystal.” Feathers took a deep breath

“Alright. But we’ll be careful. If this  _ is  _ something we’re not supposed to find, there’s got to be some kind of trick at play.” Anything from booby traps to an ambush. Doll didn’t respond at first, instead creating a portal using that cloth of his.

“Go first, I have to take it to close the door.” Feathers stepped through obediently into a white void. From there, Doll would create another portal to their destination.

Ibiscus startled awake when they felt the sudden burst of magic in their home, but quickly curled up and went back to sleep upon seeing that their child had wandered off.

~~~~****~~~~

Feathers stepped out of the portal and looked around. The mansion was all but a ruin, almost completely overgrown and looked as though it could collapse at any time. The ground was damp, and there were trees made entirely of crystal towering above. 

“Well this looks like bad news, doesn’t it?” Doll came through behind him before responding.

“Yeah, I gue- Oh no, I forgot something really important.” He slapped his face, annoyed with himself. “It emits tons of magic…”

“F**k” Feathers glanced around nervously. Then, the trees began to move, spikey branches pointing towards the interlopers. 

“How could I. Well, I guess we’re not hidden anymore.” Doll’s voice contained hints of sarcasm and annoyance. Feathers bent his knees, ready to take action.

“So they know we’re here… great. Try not to make too much noise. My hearing might alert us if someone comes.” He really, really didn’t want to get ambushed when they had no real plan of escape. And yet… the thought of turning back never even crossed his mind. They had waited for their chance for too long. It was time to do what he had wanted to do since he first got here, and finally make sure Ibiscus would be safe.

The trees began to fire crystal spikes at the duo, and Feathers realized they had to move. 

“I’ll try, and I think it’s time we get inside.” Doll opened the door and then froze, before looking back at the trees. 

“Come in, and be ready to fight.” That didn’t sound good, but Feathers had no choice, so he dove into the hall, rolling as he hit the floor. He came up as silently as he could, talons bared and at the ready. As he did so, crystals began to grow, covering the walls. There was a monster in the center of them, one who seemed to be entirely made of some kind of gem.. It was Opal. He looked to his right, to see Doll already pinned beneath a giant spider who was attempting to wrap him in its webbing. Feathers quickly darted forward, raking his claws along the spider as Doll stabbed it with the giant needle he carried. Then Feathers was forced to jump and hover as a wave of crystal shards impacted on the wall behind him.

“COME ON OWL SH*T LET’S MAKE THIS FAIR!” It was Opal again. Feathers now saw that the kindness and gentleness from before had been a facade. Feathers didn’t waste breath on a reply, instead flying at him, talons first. The monster smiled, and crystals grew all around the two of them, separating them from Doll and the spider. Then, he fired a wave of spikes at Feathers that would have been impossible to dodge.

“F**k.” Feathers curled up and cocooned himself in his wings, using them to shield his torso from the crystal shards. He gasped as the other plunged one of the shards into his wing.

“And they were so pretty too… Oh well~” Feathers forced himself to breathe deeply and then he reached out and grabbed one of the four tenticles that sprouted from the other’s back. Opal stabbed his hand, but he clung on anyway, only gasping again. He dragged the monster closer in, aiming for his throat. The traitor shrieked and stabbed at Feathers yet again. The other enemy, Lucie, shouted at him

“Hey don’t hurt him b*tch!” She sent a magic dragon flying towards the two of them. 

“LUCIE WATCH YOURSELF!” The monster in his grasp cried to her. Feathers had no idea what was happening at the other end of the hall, but he hoped Doll was winning, since he wasn’t sure how long he could keep going against Opal. He was so strong… no, he musn’t think that. Thinking he might lose was the beginning of losing. He hissed and lashed out at the dragon with his wing, trying to hold it off while he struggled with this crystal bastard. He yelped as the dragon managed to pull a few flight feathers from his wing. 

Opal wrapped a spiny tentacle around his throat.

“LEAVE HER BE!” It wasn’t clear whether he was talking to Feathers or Doll, but Feathers did so, preferring to claw desperately at the tentacle around his neck. The monster started to drag him into another room.

“D-Doll!” His voice was desperate and he began to struggle, trying to claw away the tentacle still around his neck which he was now being dragged by. But Doll didn’t seem to hear him. Feathers felt a chill run down his spine as his enemy gripped his wing bones, and he stopped struggling as hard. 

“H-help!” his voice pleaded with his friend to save him. He was helpless as the monster he’d trusted so easily dragged him the rest of the way into the room. It was some kind of throne room, but he was in too panicked a state to notice anything else. Feathers gasped as the monster yanked his wings into an unnatural position, just a little too far back. 

“Let’s pluck you until you can’t fly~” He could hear the smirk in the other’s voice.

“N-not gonna happen.” But his voice betrayed his fear. He grunted as he was slammed hard into the floor. He was f**king  _ heavy! _ Was he actually made of rocks? All of those thoughts left his mind as Opal gripped a handful of feathers and ripped them out. He struggled with a new desperation. He briefly considered separating from Eclipse, but that would only make him twice as vulnerable. He had another solution. He focused through the pain, finding that part of his mind where he knew Eclipse lived and shutting it down, blocking it off from all sensation. There was no reason she had to suffer with him. 

Silent tears of pain streamed down his face as his tormentor continued to rip his feathers out, handful after handful. He was trembling, exhausted, barely struggling by the time the monster had finished. The monster then reached down and broke the delicate bone of one of his now bloody and bare wings with ease. Feathers choked back a scream, refusing to give his enemy that pleasure. 

“Pass out already you sh*t.” Opal stepped down with all his weight, and Feathers lost consciousness, the pain finally overpowering the unnatural determination that ran through him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tl;dr: Feathers and Doll go to the mansion, and Feathers gets captured. The feathers are pulled off his wings and his wing is broken. Then he's knocked unconscious. Also Opal is a traitor.


	5. Hurting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brutality, and a hint of hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok now this one's worse than the last one, so again, if you don't like angst, tl;dr is in the end notes.

Feathers awoke with a whimper. When he moved slightly, pain lanced through his wings. He cried out, trying desperately to remember what had happened before, fighting to think through the agony. He was in some sort of cave that had been repurposed as a cell. It was cold and damp and the smell of mushrooms was suffocating. His attention was distracted when he heard the sound of the door opening. He looked up and saw… Oh right, that’s what happened. Opal stood in the doorway, a bucket in one hand and a bin in the other. He began to approach. 

“Back away.”

_ No, no, no! Not again!  _ Feathers shrank away from him until he was backed up against the wall. He was unaware of it, but his mouth opened to gape at his enemy.

“Turn around.” But Feathers wouldn’t. He couldn’t think through his pain and terror. All he knew was that he couldn’t expose himself to his enemy. Opal just sighed. He reached out, grasping Feathers’ arm and forcing him to turn, pressing him against the wall. Feathers froze, unable to move. His body was trembling violently. He felt the cool touch of a wet cloth against one of his wings.

“Just relax, I’m going to make sure you don’t get an infection.” Feathers hissed again in response to his voice, but didn’t struggle. Opal kept caring for his wounds, putting a makeshift splint on the broken wing.

“Not that bad, see?” 

Feathers didn’t see. Anytime he moved it meant agony. But he still didn’t speak, transfixed by terror. Opal released him.

“Don’t mess with those. If you do, I won’t give you new ones.”

Feathers nodded slowly, forcing himself to move in response.

“You’re going to be fed in an hour, I advise you get some more rest.”

“F-fine.” Feathers barely managed to choke out the word. He was glad to hear food was on the way… maybe they wouldn’t harm him any further.

“There are some ground rules though.” Opal continued. “You must behave and listen to me, because I can make this place a literal hell for you. Other rules will come up later.” He began to move towards the door.

“I… understand.” He did. He knew this monster wouldn’t hesitate to follow through with his threat.

“Do you?” 

“Yes.” 

“Good.” He smiled, and finally left, locking the cell behind him.

Feathers sat down and forced himself to take slow, deep breaths. Now was not the time to have a panic attack. He had no intention of taking Opal’s suggestion to rest. How could he? His mind was still clouded by terror, and while treating his wounds helped with the pain, it certainly didn’t make it go away. He sat there for some time, breathing deeply, trying not to think too hard about what might eventually happen to him. After awhile, Opal came back. Feathers looked at him with a mix of hope and fear, but the other monster’s expression immediately dashed any hope he felt.

“Back up!” The crystal monster’s voice was a growl.

Feathers obeyed without question, cowering in a submissive pose, hoping to direct Opal’s anger away from him. But it was in vain. Opal began to tear apart what he could in the room, tossing things at Feathers. After a few minutes of this, he turned without warning and roughly grabbed Feathers by the tufts that sprouted from his head and slamming him against the wall, pinning him there. He made a sound of pain, gaze locked on Opal’s eyes. Opal brought the razor sharp tip of one of his tentacles and held it at his throat. He held it there for a moment before making a small sound and roughly throwing him onto the floor. 

Feathers felt like his ribcage was being constricted as he fought even to breath through the terror. He began to crawl away from Opal, crying in submission and a wordless plea for mercy. This only seemed to enrage the monster more, and he ran at him and kicked him in the chest. Feathers felt bones snap. That’s when Lucie came in, crying.

“Opal! Stop it..! He doesn’t deserve that… if someone must pay it’s me… I-I’m the one who messed things up again…”

Feathers lay, trembling, at Opal’s feet, not daring to move. Every breath he took caused him agony, and anytime he tried to move his torso it felt like daggers cut his spine. He couldn’t keep going like this-! He didn’t know what to do. His instincts screamed at him to attack Opal, but he knew well that the other would kill him if he did such a thing.

“Why… why did-” Opal didn’t finish his sentence. Instead, he turned around and picked up Feathers and placed him on a pillow, ignoring his prisoner’s cries of fear and agony. Then, he stormed out of the room without looking back. Feathers watched him go, unsure of what was happening. Did he do something wrong? Why had he been punished?

“Sorry buddy… you didn’t deserve that…” Lucie gave him a sympathetic look before turning and following Opal.

He continued to lie there, barely staying conscious, for almost an hour, thinking… The memory of himself  _ willingly allowing _ Opal to touch his wings haunted him. If only he’d known-! He just wanted to be back safe, cradled in Ibiscus’ arms. He sobbed, and agony seared through him, He wanted them to hold him, tell him that it was ok, that he was going to be ok… Just then, Lucie came in, bearing a plate of pancakes.

“Hey~ I made you some pancakes, Feathers, because we still need to keep you alive~”

“Please…”  _ Please no more please don’t hurt me-! _

“Hey, shh, it’s gonna be ok sweetie. I can’t even fight back if you attack me, see?”

But he barely heard her, since Opal was following her into the room. He moved backward, pressing himself against the wall, ignoring the agony that filled his body with that movement.

“No pain, just healing, feeding, and cleaning.” Opal’s voice was now calm, but Feathers didn’t believe him. His eyelights burned bright with panic as his gaze flicked between the two of them. He was miserable. He couldn’t run. He had nowhere to hide and these two would only keep torturing him like this. Lucie sat next to him and shoved the plate in front of him.

“Come on, you need to eat Feathers…”

“You’re right, I shouldn’t have come. Make sure to lock up when you leave, Lucie.” Opal’s voice startled him, but he was greatly relieved when he finally left the cell. He felt some of the tension in his chest release a little. He reached out, hand trembling, for the food.

“I won’t forget Opal, thank you.” Lucie pushed it so he could reach it more easily before pulling back her hand. He ate the pancakes, but he didn’t taste them. As he did so, she began to prepare the supplies for treating his wounds, and his shaking died down a bit as he felt a strange calm settle over him. He knew it was just shock, but he was thankful for it.

“I’ll try to be careful with the cleaning, ok? ...I know it hurts.” 

Feathers nodded hesitantly.

“Th-thank you…”

“Can you turn your back to me, please? It would be easier for me to reach your wings that way.” 

He obeyed her, but still trembled, hoping this wasn’t some kind of cruel trick. She began to gently clean his wounds, being far less rough than Opal had been. When she moved on to the broken wing he spoke.

“Ah- be careful.”

“Tsk tsk tsk, you want me to call Opal?” 

He responded with dead silence.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Now shut up, you aren’t my friend.”

_ Nor I, yours. _ He was beginning to hope again. Maybe, just maybe, he would make it out of this alive. If that were the case, he hoped that he would get the chance to kill these two for what they were doing to him. But all these thoughts were to cover up one thought, one thought that disturbed him. The thought said  _ at least someone is caring for us… At least someone is touching us nicely _ . The little glow of pleasure brought by Lucie’s touch, however small it might be, made him feel distressed. He gasped in pain as Lucie began to wrap the bandages tightly. He made a note not to do so in the future when agony again filled his ribcage at the sudden movement.

“There.” Lucie released him, and Feathers backed out of her reach. He finally worked up the courage to speak once more, to ask a question that had been burning in his mind.

“Wh-what happened to Doll?” He feared the answer. Doll was his only hope of getting rescued soon. Ibiscus didn’t know where he was, and while they’d figure it out eventually, he could be long dead by then.

“Oh him. Unfortunately, he escaped.” 

He felt his soul lift a little as his hopes were confirmed. He asked another question.

“Why am I here? What do you want from me?”

“You are here because you dared to come into our home. And we didn’t need you for anything at first.” That… did not sound good.

“At first?”

“Meh, we’re actually trying to find something you might be useful for.” He felt his soul sink again. What did a ‘use’ mean? What more would they do to him?

“I-we came to your home because w-we thought there was something amiss.” He saw an opportunity to maybe get her on his side. “Not to mention- we thought that freak might hurt  _ you.” _

“Might hurt me? Of course he hurt me! H’s the one who ripped out my feathers, but I don’t blame him. I disobeyed so I deserved it. Why would you care anyway?”

“ _ I  _ didn’t. Also, why the f**k are you allied with him?” He knew this was a bad idea, getting baited into an argument, but he couldn’t help it. He was frustrated and desperate.

“Because he’s lovely~”

“...he’s lovely even though he’s causing you intense physical agony?” This wasn’t something he could understand.

“Oh, hum, yes? No? I don’t know. But it was before we got along, now things are way better!”

“But he still ripped of your feathers.” He had given up hope of convincing her now, and just wanted to understand.

“It’s ok… it’s not that bad after all-!” But her expression told him otherwise.

“A-alright?” He couldn’t understand how she could keep going like that. If someone did that to him, he would kill them.

“I should go…”

There was one more question he wanted answered.

“But… did I do something wrong before? Was that… punishment for something?”

“...Shut up, I don’t want to talk about that.” But he  _ had  _ to undestand!

“I-I just want to understand… if it’s something I did s-so that…” he didn’t know quite how to finish his sentence.

“No. He was angry because of me…”

That was...much worse. Was that all he was? Something for Opal to take his anger out on?

“A-alright…”

“I’ll… I’ll try not to let it happen again, ok?” 

He only nodded.

“I better get going then.”

He nodded again, not sure how to respond. But he had an idea. He reached inside of his coat, and found what he was looking for… the communication device. It was still there! He could call for help! 

“Doll?” His voice quavered as he spoke. He prayed silently that his companion hadn’t lost his end of the device in the battle. 

**“What who is it- Wait. Feathers?”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tl;dr: Feathers is first given medical attention and then beaten by Opal. Add broken ribs and fractured spine to his list of injuries. Then Lucie helps him and feeds him, and he remembers he has a communication device.


	6. Talking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feathers has a talk with his friend and parent and then things go wrong... again...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's not as bad, but it's the calm before the storm. So, no tl;dr in the end notes.

He felt immense relief fill him as he heard his friend’s voice. He choked up for a minute, and his voice still shook when he spoke.

“Thank goodness…”

**“You’re alive… I was… Sorry…”**

“Yes, I’m alive. They’re at least feeding me and giving me medical attention. But they keep hinting that they have some purpose for keeping me and… I-I’m scared.”

**“I… is there a door around there?”**

“Do cell doors count?”

**“If you can’t see through it when it’s closed, yeah…”**

“No I can’t see through it.”

**“I guess… I can try. Describe to me where you are… and I’ll try to open a door there.”**

“I-it looks like a cave that’s been turned into a cell… ah, it’s really old looking… kinda dark. Please, please be careful… there are also stars on the ceiling, but I think they’re only stickers.”

He heard someone say something nearby Doll. The voice was indistinct, but familiar.

**“...Feathers called me, we're talking…”** **   
** **“...I saw he was hurt, when this… crystal squid took him.” ** These words were obviously directed at the other person who was with Doll.

**“Please… try to be more precise. I need to be able to visualize the area.”**

“Ok… there are some stalagmites, star stickers on the ceiling, and a small stream of water. There’s also some moss and mushrooms about. Is that specific enough?”

**“...A blue crystalized skeleton with tentacles? I think that was it.”**

**“I just actually want to… try to get him out. I’m sure you know what I mean.”**

again, not directed at Feathers, but he responded anyway.

“Y-yes… thank you.” He was still trying to choke back his fear. He watched the cell door tensely, waiting, hoping that Doll would soon appear and take him away from this hell.

**“Actually… you should thank me only if it works…”** There were static noises on the other side of the connection for a few minutes before Doll spoke again. His voice was breaking up over the connection.

**“No, sorry… Can’t find..” ** Oh gosh what was happening to his friend?

“Doll! ARe you alright?”

**“I am… doesn’t work I… retreat.”**

“A-alright… alright… y-you tried.” He fought hard not to cry, to keep his voice steady.

**“Sorry…”**

“You’re going to get me caught… go back.” The static noise was increasing inside the ball.

**“Kay.” ** The noise finally stopped.

“Can we just… keep talking… please?” He felt desperate to distract himself from the pain and fear he felt, as well as the exhaustion he refused to give in to.

**“Why did it fail…?”** **   
** “I don’t know. I can’t know. Maybe there’s some kind of magic on this place that keeps you from coming here, or maybe I couldn’t describe it well enough.”

**“I hope it’s the second option… or most of my tricks won’t work.”**

“You have other tricks?” A flame of hope was kindled once more inside of him.

**“I mean, my paintbrush is already empty, but I still have light papers, a few fruits, the cloth door, and- wait… I can fill the paintbrush… with it?”**

“What? With what?”

**“Paint mixed with… the thing that gives me life.”**

“That helps how?” He wanted it to help, he really did, but how could paint help them?

**“I got rid of Lucie by chaining her with it…”**

“Well it didn’t work then- she’s still about.” He didn’t laugh at his own joke. It wasn’t very funny, anyway, and laughter would be hell on his ribs.

**“I never intended to kill her-!”** Doll sounded indignant.

“The f**k not? She’s given us no reason to have mercy on her.” He wanted to kill them.

Doll was silent for a few minutes, but he could feel the dissaproval.

“Fine… I’m sorry. I just- I don’t know what to do…” The feeling of helplessness came upon him, choking him and causing his eyes to flood with tears.

**“Me neither… I guess… We will have to wait.”** Hearing the regret in Doll’s voice somehow comforted him. His friend didn’t want to leave him here.

“O-ok… I h-hope Opal doesn’t get angry again… I f**king hate this.” His voice broke on those last words and the tears finally fell down his face. Each breath was like daggers to his chest but he couldn’t stop crying.

**“Who is... Opal?”**

He forced himself to take a deep breath

“The one who isn’t Lucie.”

**“The one that looks like crystal, right?”**

Feathers nodded, eyes closed, and then remembered that his friend couldn’t see him.

“Y-yeah… yeah he is. I think h-he’s actually made of crystal.”

**“Uh, yeah, uh… are you alright?”** his friend’s voice was worried. Again, he felt comforted by that.

“N-no… no I-I’m not.. I’m scared as hell and- th-there’s so much pain…” he was crying in earnest now. He wanted to break down fully, but knew that it would cause him to pass out from pain, so he kept choking back his sobs.

**“W-what? What do you m-mean?"**

“Hhh, they might have bandaged some of my wounds, but that doesn’t change the fact that I can hardly breathe for pain.” His tone was frustrated, but that frustration wasn’t directed at Doll, but at the horrible situation he found himself in. He knew his friend was just trying to help.

**“...I… Sorry. I left you.”**

“If you hadn’t, you’d be dead or imprisoned.”

**“That’s not it… I heard you when you were in need… and…”**

Feathers didn’t have an answer for that. It wasn’t the first time it had happened to him, but it still stung him deeply. He wouldn’t blame his friend for what happened… but at the same time he wished things had turned out differently. He decided to change the subject.

“I-is Ibiscus safe?” He barely dared ask. What if they’d been harmed while he’d been chasing red herrings?

**“Th-they are…”**

Feathers sighed in relief, only to instantly wish he hadn’t. Stars danced in front of his eyes for a minute.

“A-alright good… and Doll- i-it’s not your fault… Not really. I was the one to have the idea of coming to this hell in the first place.”

The indistinct voice said something again, and Doll responded.

**“Hmm…”**

Feathers shifted position, trying to lower himself down a little so that he could be more comfortable. He almost blacked out. 

“Gah-”

**“Feathers!”**

“D-don’t move… got it…” 

This time, when the second person spoke, the words were audible.

** _“I-is he ok? Did something happen?”_ **

**“He’s hurt…”** Feathers rolled his eyes a little at Doll’s response. No sh*t Sherlock.

The voice said something else.

“Who are you t-talking to?” It was a little hard to tell someone’s voice through the device.

**“Here, take it…” ** there was a slight rustle as the ball was handed over to someone.

“What?”

** _“F-Feathers? You can hear me, my ch-child?”_ **

“I-Ibiscus-” He sobbed, unable to hold it back any longer. He knew his voice was shaking from the pain and terror he was enduring. “Y-yes I can hear you.”

** _“H-h no! D-don’t cry my child. I can hear you in pain. Please don’t worry we’ll come and save you ok? ...the bridge isn’t broken after all…”_ **

_ _ “O-ok… I b-believe you… Please, be careful and… I’m sorry.”

**_“Do not be sorry my dear… nothing is your fault and I’m sure of it.”_** Their voice was calming and he sobbed again, missing them more than ever.

“I-I’m so s-scared…” He knew he could tell them his feelings without fear of judgement, and that they would support him. “I don’t know wh-when they’ll come back o-or whether they’ll decide to hurt me a-again.”

** _“You know what? F**k it, I’m going right now.”_ **

“Please, please be careful… please.” But he felt an immense wave of comfort knowing that his parent was coming to save him. Someone else said something, and Ibiscus responded.

** _“I said I’m going. He’s in the dark islands, right? And it’s no problem my child I’ll be careful. I promise.”_ **

“Alright… I miss you…”

Doll said something.

** _“Of course you can, but we’ll need to be careful. I miss you too, my child.”_ **

“And… thank you… I-I feel so much better knowing you’re coming.”

He heard more of a one-sided conversation between Ibiscus and, presumably, Doll.

** _“Uh… maybe in the food court? I don’t really know, is paint edible?”_ **

** ** “But please tell me someone’s coming with you.” He didn’t like the idea of his parent coming out here alone.

** _“Yes, Doll is coming too, don’t worry.”_ **

“...Is he in good enough shape to?” Truth be told, he had no idea of Doll’s physical condition. He only remembered seeing a spider trying to wrap him up in its web.

**_“I...I don’t think so?”_** What kind of answer was that?

“Well-” Suddenly, Opal entered the room. He cut himself off abruptly, praying that Ibiscus and Doll had the sense not to say anything. 

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” 

F**k. He decided not to hide the ball, since that would draw their attention to it. He cringed slightly, again broadcasting submissive body language. Lucie was hot on Opal’s heels.

“Man the frick why were you talking to a ball? Is it a sort of Akumu?” He had no idea what she was saying, but was distracted as Opal stormed toward him and picked him up by the throat. He gasped in agony.

“Who were you talking to?!” F**k he had heard them.

“E-Eclipse.” It was a desperate lie, but a plausible one.

Opal lifted him higher and he choked, fighting against the darkness trying to close over his vision.

“Wh-what do you want..?” He struggled for breath.

“Opal no! He’s going to die if you continue like that! And dead he won’t be useful at all!” It was Lucie, jumping to his defense… sort of. Opal looked over his shoulder at her.

“Then we’ll do something else!”

“He’s already half dead, don’t torture him again-! Just take the ball and make him say what we want him to.” Feathers’ eyes closed.  _ Oh gosh please no no more hurting please.  _ But he couldn’t say any of that, his throat closed by terror.

“That way, we might fool the others.” Lucie finished. Opal began to roughly drag him out of the cell, still holding him by the throat.

“No, I’m taking him somewhere.” Opal marched out of the cave and into a forest of crystal trees. Feathers couldn’t appreciate these, however, because his face was shoved into the mud on the ground. He lost consciousness as his enemy began to drag him away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys can't have any idea how frustrated I was at my idiot angel for not keeping an ear to the ground and making sure not to get caught... oh well.


	7. Speechless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahah, I'm not *saying* anything about this one... I'm sorry that's dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From my perspective, this is the worst chapter. So tl;dr at the end notes, you know the drill.

Feathers was awakened when Opal hit him.

“Wake up!” 

“A-ahhh-” The agony had somehow gotten worse. Mud had been rubbed into his wounds and his ribs had been further injured. Before he could say or do anything though, Opal roughly pinned Feathers against a rock. His tormentor forced his mouth open despite his refusal to do so. As Opal switched his grip to his tentacles so his hands were free, and summoned a sharp shard of crystal, Feathers had the slow and horrible realization of what he was about to do to him. He began to struggle and fight frantically as the other reached for his mouth. _ No, no, no, this can’t be happening, he can’t do this-! _

“Slap me b*tch! He won’t die!” Opal seemed to be talking to someone Feathers couldn’t hear. He kept struggling, feeling his whole body tremble. Opal grinned and reached inside his mouth, cutting out his tongue.

“Too late~” Feathers’ eyes remained fixed on Opal’s as blood poured from his mouth. He could feel himself passing out and this time, he didn’t fight the blackness as it came. But he was just conscious to hear Opal say.

“F**k sh*t! Can you grow those back?”

~~~~****~~~~

Feathers woke. He was lying in a bathtub. Opal was standing by the door of the bathroom, and someone he’d never seen before had their hands on him. He began to cough violently, choking back up the blood he had inhaled while unconcious. The coughing went on for several minutes, and each cough was hell due to his still broken ribs. His gaze finally settled on Opal, and he cringed as far back as the limited space would allow. He was trembling violently. He felt his tongue was still in his mouth, which was good. He glanced at the new person and saw that he was also very, very afraid. He saw the warm green glow in his hands and recognized that this person must have healed him. But why would Opal provide him with a healer? The new person took their hands off of him and backed up as well. Feathers coughed again, wheezing slightly as pain filled his chest. Lucie’s voice came through the door.

“The f**k why is a bird dying in their?”

Opal made a sound of annoyance.

“He isn’t dying…” Opal casually grabbed the healer’s skull and threw him against the wall. “But we have a mediocre healer now, so that’s nice.” 

Now he knew for sure who’s side the healer was on. He wanted to help him, but his terror kept him transfixed.

“Gosh please open the door I need to die too. And don’t kill people again.” Lucie’s voice again, but Opal ignored her.

“Don’t fight me and we won’t have a problem, ok?” Opal was still holding the healer against the wall. The poor healer flinched, but didn’t answer. Opal sighed.

“Lucie.” 

“Mh? What? I was gonna leave since you apparently have business.”

“Get in here I need you.”

While all this was going on, Feathers looked down, but quickly changed his mind. He was kneeling in a pool of his own blood, and it made him nauseous. How the f**k was he alive? There was far too much there.

“Oh ok?” Lucie came in.

“Stop your fighting.” This comment directed at the healer, who was struggling to get away from his grasp. Then he turned to Lucie.

“Take Feathers somewhere more secure. Chain him up in the kitchen if you can. Lock him in an empty bedroom, he needs to be somewhere we can keep an eye on him.” Then, he bashed the poor healer into the wall again.

“Sleep motherf**ker.”

_ No please not chains- _ being held in any position by chains would be nothing but agony for him. 

“The cell won’t work so I guess here we go to the kitchen.” Lucie came to him and picked him up. She was careful, but it didn’t help that he was taller than her. Feathers knew that struggling now would only make matters much worse, so he cooperated, even clinging to her as she lifted him. She carried him down the hall and into the kitchen, half dropping him on the counter. Then, she made pillows appear around him for makeshift bedding. She didn’t chain him, instead just sitting on the floor and scratching at the wounds on her arms, irritating them further. Feathers watched with vague interest, but didn’t dare to speak. A few minutes later, Opal came in and pushed the healer in. 

“LUCIE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Feathers flinched away from the loud sound.

“It’s just scratches… let me be it’s nothing…”

“STOP! Go to the bathroom and clean it! You’re making it worse!”

Feathers allowed his eyes to slide to the healer before quickly snapping back to fix in terror on Opal. The poor thing wasn’t looking so good. He was kneeling, head cradled in his hands.

“O-ok...” Lucie’s voice contained a hint of a whine as she slunk off to the bathroom.

Opal pushed the healer into the wall and chained him there.

“Stay.” Then he turned towards Feathers. His immediate response was to edge away from Opal as far as he could without falling off the counter, making pitiful whimpering sounds. Opal walked over to him.

“I’m giving you an easy job. Disobey me… and that tongue of yours will stay off permanently, got it?” He waited for Feathers’ response. Feathers only nodded weakly.

“Watch him!” He pointed at the healer. “If he moves, you call. If says something, you call. If he does anything, YOU. CALL. But if you move or even try to run off, you’re going to regret it. Got it?”

Feathers felt his soul plummet, all his hopes dashed instantly.

“I-I we can’t- we c-can’t t-talk?” His voice was desperate, pleading. He knew he needed to talk to someone, anyone. He wanted to stop feeling alone! He wanted someone, anyone to be able to distract him. This healer seemed kind hearted enough, and he desperately needed any form of affection, even if it was only talking.

“Let’s see how well you do with this, then I’ll decide.” Opal strode out of the room.

Feathers began to cry, trying not to sob too hard since it hurt like hell… this _ was _hell. He just wanted to go home… to be with his parent again… He wanted to leave this place and never return… he didn’t even care if he killed Opal anymore, as long as he got away! His thoughts were distracted as the healer reached toward his head, hands flickering with magic. Feathers hesitated a moment, but no matter what, he couldn’t risk incurring Opal’s wrath again.

“O-Opal!”

He saw the betrayed gaze that the healer gave him. He looked back, eyes pleading desperately to be forgiven. Opal came into the room.

“What?”

“H-he moved… but I th-think he was just healing himself.” Opal nodded, checked the chains, and then left the room. Feathers resolved not to call him again. It wasn’t worth the risk that he could have Opal’s wrath taken out on him.

The healer looked at him, expression concerned. When he spoke, his voice was distorted and glitchy.

“..are you alright over there, hun?”

“...no. I-I’m really not… I’m f**king scared- who knows when he’ll come back and decide to h-hurt me again?”

“Is he the one who did that to you?” Feathers wondered what he was referring to. Not that it mattered. He nodded quitely.

“H-he did… everything-” He couldn’t help it. His voice broke again and he began to sob, each time he did though agony flared inside of him.

The healer’s expression twisted into an angry one.

“That… that’s _ f**ked _.” The anger was never meant for Feathers, but in his shattered emotional state, he failed to perceive who it was meant for. He tried to cringe away, but also not move. 

“S-sorry I-”

The healer’s eyes flicked back to him, the angry expression vanishing once more.

“N-no hun… it’s fine, you did nothing wrong. Don’t apologize for a single thing.”

Feathers forced his tears back again, hastily changing the subject.

“A-alright… d-do you know w-what’s happening outside?” Sudden worry for Ibiscus filled his mind.

“I… I don’t know what’s happening, but… I could open a portal and try to look outside?” 

Feathers didn’t even consider the suggestion, shaking his head without hesitation.

“N-no- they’ll think we’re trying to escape…” He knew very well that it was his neck on the line here. “Please, just tell me… is my parent safe? L-last you knew, anyway.”

“Wh-who? The… big person? I don’t know anybody yet, I apologize…”

“M-maybe… their name is Ibiscus… they have a flower in one eye and are the host of th-this event.”

“Oh my, yes… I believe they are ok. They were chasing… I believe his name was Opal, was it?”

“...S-so long as they’re s-safe… I-I just- I c-can’t- I- hhh I can’t.” He rested his head on his arms, gaze still fixed on the healer. The small movement caused pain to sear up his spine, and he flinched. The other had a sympathetic look on his face as he watched Feathers.

“Hun… do you need- any more healing? I can try to get to you and-”

Feathers nodded. He knew Opal would be furious, but he would take any chance to relieve his agony.

“I-I can’t really h-help… everything h-hurts.”

“Love, that’s ok. I can… probably try to get out.” 

“Alright j-just be c-careful… y-you’ll need to find a way back up th-there eventually.”

“...or, I won’t.” Feathers knew the other was thinking of escape, but he’d all but given up hope. If he could have seen it, he’d know that the tufts on his forehead were now a bleached lavender, rather than the intense purple that was normal for them, as he wanted to give up… to stop trying, stop _ persevering. _ But he had to keep talking. Now that he’d started, he couldn’t stop.

“H-how’d you get h-here?” 

The other was glitching in the chains.

“You’re ‘friend’, Opal. He said he needed a healer because you were hurt. I guess I was dumb enough to believe what I presume is a Nightmare.” His body finally lagged and glitched out of the chains that bound him, tossing him free onto the floor.

“H-he’s not my f**king friend!” Feathers was horrified by the suggestion. “I-I hate h-him… I-I’m just so scared.”

“...I understand that. It’ll be ok, hun…” The healer staggered to his feet and carefully moved to Feathers’ side. “Alright. Let me… try to heal ya, ok?”

He nodded.

“Be careful.” 

The healer leaned on the counter, his hands glowing.

“What hurts?”

Feathers closed his eyes, forcing himself to focus on the source of the pain. 

“M-my chest… it h-hurts whenever I breath… my back also h-hurts… my wings too, but not as much.”

“I’ll start with your chest so you can at least breathe, ok?” The healer raised his hands, waiting for Feathers’ permission to touch him. Feathers nodded consent, and the healer placed his hands on Feathers’ ribcage, a weak strand of magic warming him to the core. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to get lost in the warmth that lifted the pain away. But all that was lost when Lucie stumbled back into the room.

“Wh-what are you guys doing?” 

The healer lifted his hands up, glanced over, and smiled at Lucie. He waved one of his hands dismissively.

“Dying, to be honest. Although, I must admit that you guys aren’t all that bright… and I don’t mean that in a nice way. No use being polite in this situation.”   
Feathers didn’t open his eyes. He didn’t want to see Lucie. He was so thankful to be in less pain that he barely cared. He just wanted to keep being near the healer, who was being so kind to him.

“H-hey, uhh, name… I-I d-don’t think that’s a good idea. Sh-she’s not… she’s not been so b-bad…” as much as he hated saying that, it was true.

“A friend of somebody that horrid doesn’t deserve a nice talk.” Feathers agreed, of course. But they had to do whatever they could to get out of here.

“L-listen… please. She might be our only chance.” The other only squinted, not responding. Feathers reached out a hand, desperately seeking any comfort he could. He was sure that he would be punished horribly for allowing him to get out of his chains, and he needed something to distract him from that. The healer took his hand gently, rubbing it a little, trying to comfort him without words. 

Then, Opal came back into the room. He rushed forward and wrenched the healer away with one of his tentacles. 

“What did I say I said behave! Yet you don’t listen!” 

Feathers cowered back violently, scrambling away from Opal. His eyelights, which had been steadily dimming to black as he was calmed, shone back, yellow and brighter than ever. Opal yanked him back close to him. When he did, Feathers cried out and tried to jerk away.

“I said no moving!”

He stalked over to the healer and picked him up.

“I thought you understood the rules.”

“I understood the rules, yes. But I’m sorry… was I expected to act like a toy and behave?” Feathers saw the healer look at him with concern, and he felt deep guilt. The other wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him! Now he was certain that he would be punished for nothing more than being kind to Feathers. He couldn’t watch.

“I brought you here for him, nothing more! Your job is to heal him! Nothing more! So once that's done, you’re disposable, so I’d watch myself if I were you.”

“I was doing just as you’re saying my job is! I was healing him before you so rudely tossed me aside!”

“H-he was…” Feathers knew he would be focusing Opal’s wrath on himself by speaking, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t allow the poor healer to get harmed further because he had needed help… So he would take whatever punishment Opal threw his way.

Opal growled, slamming the healer into the floor. Feathers averted his gaze, unable to watch the other get tortured for his sake.

Lucie quietly left the room.

Feathers glanced up as he heard her leave, and saw that the healer was passed out on the floor and Opal was now looking at him.

“Just listen, that’s it. Listen.” 

Feathers nodded… he knew talking was a bad idea, but he had to make sure he knew the rules so he didn’t screw it up.

“D-do I have to stay on the c-counter?”

“Yes. Lucie gave you all that junk, you might as well use it.” 

Feathers looked to the healer again. He wanted to help him, to be of some service to him.

“Don’t move. _ That _rule still applies to you, Feathers.” 

Feathers shuddered. He knew what he meant. He couldn’t risk losing his ability to speak permanently. Not again.

“G-got it…”

“Good.” Opal left with a huff. As soon as he did, Feathers’ eyelights went out completely

and he began to sob.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tl;dr Opal freaking cuts out his tongue... and then has my favorite moment ever in "Oh sh*t do those not grow back?"  
Don't worry, he's quickly healed by the healer, who's actual name is Ellie. And Feathers is under strict orders not to talk to Ellie, and he hates it.
> 
> Oh, and I should mention, Ellie's really a sweetheart, even more than I could show here... Closer to the end of the chapter, he had the thought "I'm glad I was brought here so that I could heal him" not even caring his own life was at risk. So thaannkksss for saving my child Ellie, and I'm sorry for your suffering XD


	8. Helping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucie is oddly kind, and Feathers meets someone he knows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, angst over for the most part, no need for tl;dr.

Some time later, Lucie entered the room, but Feathers paid her no heed. The only sign that he registered her presence was that his eyelights flickered on again, but yellow still. His feather tufts were almost completely bleached out white. He had given up. He was hopeless.

Lucie came close to him and he tensed when she did. She reached out and gently rubbed his forehead with her hand. Butterflies made of green magic swirled around him, settling on his body, concentrating on the injuries. He relaxed as he felt the wonderful warmth of healing magic resonate through his entire body.

“Poor creature…” Lucie spoke, her eyes full of sympathy for him. He looked at her in a bit of confusion, but relief filled his eyes.

“If Opal asks about this, say it’s the Error boy who did it ok? I’m probably not supposed to heal you that much…”

He finally spoke.

“Why? Why are you helping m-me?”

“Because if I don’t do anything your mom is going to tear me to pieces and chew on my bones.”

“Ah.” he smiled a little as another warm glow filled him when he thought of that. That would be nice.

“Tcht…” Lucie turned away from him. The pain was gone now, his injuries healed. Then, the butterflies flocked to his wings covering them, and growing out his feathers at an accelerated rate until his wings were fully feathered once more. He stared up at her with wide eyes, full of gratitude.

“Shut up, I don’t need you to say a word about this.”

“I-I understand.”

She leaned against the counter, panting for a few minutes. She had obviously overextended herself magically. Then she picked him up and carried him out. He made a small noise of complaint at being taken away from the healer, but a secret hope was budding in his chest. That hope was dashed once more when he realized she was taking him back to the cave. Something was wrong… there was an atmosphere of negativity around the cell. Lucie shouted into it.

“Oh gosh… HEY I BROUGHT FEATHERS… all clean and safe.” She opened the cell door and placed Feathers on the floor. When Feathers looked up he saw…

“D-Doll?” His emotions were confused. On the one hand, he was happy his friend was here. On the other, his friend had been captured, and who knew what hell he’d been through. Doll was quietly mumbling in the corner, and Feathers approached him, able to walk with ease now. He knelt next to his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“F**k what did they do to you?”

“Gosh… do I really need to use magic again?” Lucie sounded annoyed.

“We.. didn’t really do anything to him… now I… might have to leave…”

“Are you sure?” Feathers’ voice was a snarl. “Last I checked, Opal doesn’t exactly ask your permission for anything.”

Doll finally spoke.

“Feathers I’m the one who brought him here and Opal didn’t even check on him because he was tired.”

“She’s right, she didn’t harm me… not physically.” That didn’t change anything to Feathers. There were plenty of ways to harm someone without getting physical with it.

“Emotional way? ...sorry.” Lucie did sound sorry.

“Oh, don’t be sorry. You like to harm others, you said so.” Feathers looked Doll up and down. He knew that he was emotionally broken, but he hoped his friend was doing better.

“Ghh, at least we’re together now…”

The purple on his feathers is still washed out, but it’s stronger than it was only moments ago.

“Doll… is there something wrong? Other than this place being hell…”

“I’m wrong. Is that enough?”

“What?” Feathers was confused. This didn’t sound like his friend.

“Heh.”

“Yeah you’re right. I  _ love _ to hurt others you b*tch.”

Feathers looked at Lucie in confusion as she stormed out of the room. His initial euphoria upon seeing his friend again was draining, and his feathers became more washed out. Doll, however, jumped when the door slammed and turned to Feathers, looking lost.

“What did I just do..?”

“You told her off for f**king with us. Serves her right…” But he didn’t really believe that. She had just taken away all his pain, after all.

“Oh gosh no, why did I…” Doll looked at him, lost and desperate. “Why…”

Feathers leaned back against the wall of the cave and began to groom his precious wings with care.

“Doll… you don’t know what they’re like… wh-what they’ve done to me.”  _ how brutal they’d been. How much he was still hurting inside.  _ Doll didn’t respond to him, just staring distantly at his wings.

“She heald me before bringing me here… I-I still don’t know why- perhaps for some reason she thought it’d stop me telling you.” _Or she could just ask Opal to take care of that part._ He grimaced as the thought crossed his mind.

“What?”

“D-Doll- he cut out m-my tongue… I- he got a h-healer to put it back, but next time he says I won’t be so lucky.” He refused to refer to Opal by name. He hated and feared him more than he ever had any being. Doll backed away slightly, his eyes widening. Feathers looked away and drew his knees up to his chest.

“A-and I don’t- I don’t know how to s-stop it… w-what if he comes back and just decides to h-hurt me again? Th-there’s nothing I can d-do…”

“Shut up, please… I… need… to stay… focused…”

Feathers saw that he was making his friend upset, and a small part of him felt betrayed. Betrayed that his friend was… selfish enough that he couldn’t just  _ be  _ there for Feathers when he needed him. Or, that’s how he saw it. But he stayed silent, hoping he hadn’t f**ked things up again.

“We’re escaping. Now.”

“W-we can’t, Doll. Do you know what they’ll do if they catch us? I c-can’t-”

“We can’t stay here either.” 

“I don’t- I d-don’t know.” He was so afraid. He felt so helpless. He wanted to believe they could escape, but… He began to sob, not knowing what else to do. Doll looked at him for a few seconds, before slowly reaching forward and encasing him in his arms. Feathers gladly cuddled back, his eyes closing. 

“I’m sorry. I never wanted to let you down.” Doll’s voice sounded so regretful… Feathers immediately regretted his earlier thoughts about his friend. Suddenly, a slamming sound echoed from the distance. Feathers jumped and squeezed Doll a little harder, trying to ignore it all. He began to shake and tremble. He suspected that Opal might be angry again, and come in for him like before.

“Y-you didn’t- you didn’t let me down, Doll. N-none of this was your fault. Th-that doesn’t mean I’m- I’m not hurting, b-but…” He wasn’t quite sure how to finish the sentence. He only wanted to reassure his friend. Doll simply nestled further into his arms and he encased them both in his wings. After a few seconds of silence, Doll spoke.

“Thanks.”

“Th-thank you too…” He was still crying, head buried in his friend’s shoulder.

“We should go…” Doll seemed a little reluctant, but Feathers knew he was right.

“I’m so f**king scared Doll… He’s gonna h-hurt us.”

“Not if we leave.” Feathers stayed quiet for another minute.

“I-I guess y-you’re right, I’m just…” He was having trouble articulating

“I-I’m so scared of him… But h-he just h-hurts me, a-and it doesn’t m-matter if I’m ‘good’ o-or not.”

“Yeah… I know what you mean.” Doll gave him a comforting little squeeze.

“So…” He closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. “L-let’s get this over with… ok?”

Doll didn’t answer, instead moving away slightly and pulling something out of his pocket. Feathers backed up too. He’d been enjoying himself, but he knew the quicker they did this the less risk there was of getting caught.

“Is it the cloth?”

“Yeah, as always…” Doll removed the cloth and threw it until it formed the door. “Here…”

Feathers stepped through. He was trembling slightly, so scared that something would go horribly wrong. Doll was close on his heels, closing the door behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I say it did kinda really hurt to see Feathers so hopeless? By this point he was so terrified of Opal he would barely dare to think of escape until Doll suggested it. My poor bb.


	9. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff, love, and comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. much. fluff. I will fix all of your emotions now.

They emerged at the temple door, back in Ibiscus’ home. 

“It worked- it f**king worked! Where’s Ibiscus?”

“I don’t know…” Doll followed him through.

“We should find them soon. We’re not safe still, they know we escaped and they could come after us.”

Doll looked miserable. Feathers turned to him in concern.

“Doll, what are you thinking of?”

“I should not be here…”

“What? Why? Doll, what’s wrong?”

“I failed my promise… I have to leave.”

“What? What promise? Why?” Feathers is worried, and unsure what Doll’s on about.

“A promise… I made a long time ago… to Them. They wanted me to… To be myself… and to… protect the things or people I care about.”

“H-how have you failed?”

“He took over… and I failed to protect you.” F**k.

“H-hey Doll… you got me out of that hell. Who knows what more th-they would have done to me if you hadn’t been there? Whatever happened before  _ doesn’t matter. _ I’m here, a-and all healed too.” Doll stayed silent, still seeming unwilling to believe him.

“I got captured because I was f**king stupid, not through any fault of yours… please just-” He heard someone call them. “I-Ibiscus?” He turned around and saw them, standing there. Doll turned around too. Before either party could say more, there was a loud thump from the interior of the temple.

“Wh-what was that?” His voice felt choked by fear. What if Opal had come for him? Ibiscus barked at the sound and got between the temple and Doll and Feathers. Doll edged closer to him, and Feathers’ wings half unfurled once he remembered that he could move them again.

“I’ll go check. Don’t move…” Ibiscus warned them as they walked into the temple.

They waited a few minutes before Feathers spoke again.

“Doll, you have nothing to be sorry for. It’s… actually nice to know another who can care about me.”

“Yeah… sorr- uh” Doll snorted with laughter. Feathers opened his mouth to ask what was so funny, but then heard Ibiscus call them inside.

“Uh, let’s go.” He entered the temple, followed closely by Doll.

When he entered, he saw the kind person who had healed him in that place. He waved at her before rushing to Ibiscus’ side, Doll hot on his heels.

“It’s… good to see we all made it out… we’re all safe.” Feathers was trying to reassure himself as much as anyone else he might be talking to. Ibiscus just began to lick and snuggle him, checking him for injuries while they did so.

“Goodness I was so worried are you hurt? I heard you were hurt.”

“I-I’m not anymore… they healed me but-” His voice broke as he remembered. “Th-they did…”

“Oh no, no no, what did they do to you my child… what did they dare to do to you?”

“A-a lot…” His eyes were haunted as he looked at them. It was so much harder to tell Ibiscus what had happened than it had been Doll. Why? “Th-they stripped a-away my feathers, l-like Lucie had… they b-broke my bones and l-left me alone- th-they silenced me by cutting- cutting out my tongue- I- it hurt s-so much…”

“Oh gosh I’m so, so sorry… I wasn’t even there! I’m so sorry my child!”

“I-it’s not your f-fault… I-I know y-you wouldn’t willingly l-let that happen.” He began to cry, too overwhelmed to speak further. Doll also hugged him from behind, trying his best to comfort him.

“Shhh it’s ok now… I won’t let them even look at you anymore… that goes for you too Dolll. Neither of you must suffer again… I just wish I knew what they were planning…. I’ll ban her from her home for that. She and him don’t deserve to live in that place anymore…”

“Th-the pain w-wasn’t even the worst part… it was never knowing what might h-happen next… what they might d-do to me.”

“They won’t do anything more, I promise… no one will ever touch either of you again..”

They stayed like that for a long time, Ibiscus comforting and loving them. After awhile, they went off to get something to eat, and the conversation moved to more comforting topics. They got cleaned up afterwards, and slept together in Ibiscus’ bed, calmed and comforted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok if that didn't fix your emotions... I'm not sorry.  
Also some of the stuff Ibiscus says is kinda heartwarming. Also also, if y'all really feel like tormenting Feathers, talk to him about this~

**Author's Note:**

> So I totally lied about not writing a fluff ending... you guys deserve that. Make sure to let me know what you think in the comments, I'd love to hear if there's anything/anyone specific you want to see UwU


End file.
